When the federal government wanted to know what could
be done to move biotechnology more efficiently from
scientists and inventors to dental practitioners, Dr.
Edward Rossomando suggested biodontics.

An emerging dental specialty, biodontics applies
molecular biology and biotechnology to clinical
dentistry. The approach was conceptualize d,
developed, and refined by Rossomando, a professor of
biostructure and function at the UConn School of
Dental Medicine.

More than a training program - although it includes a
variety of training elements - biodontics encompasses
research, academic initiatives, technology evaluation
and transfer, and business know-how.

Officials at the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research, a branch of the National
Institutes of Health, were intrigued with the idea
and awarded Rossomando a two-year, $322,000 grant to
bring the concept to reality through a program that
introduces the entrepreneurial process to dental
students, faculty, and practitioners.

The approach is based on the hypothesis - grounded in
Rossomando's research - that if dentists are made
familiar with what happens from the time an idea
occurs to when it is patented, licensed,
manufactured, tested, approved, and finally marketed,
the acceptance of new products into dental practice
will be enhanced.

The concept has attracted the attention of five of
the most prestigious dental schools in the country:
Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, New York
University, the University of California at San
Francisco, and the University of Southern California
have all signed up for seminars and training.

Rossomando began his research into what would become
biodontics in 1998, when he was a visiting scholar at
the National Institutes of Health. A scientist as
well as a dentist, Rossomando's research originally
focused on what could be done to improve the flow of
technology from discoverers and manufacturers to
clinicians.

Early indications suggested the regulatory process
was unwieldy and needed reform. A model was developed
and a conference of stakeholders - inventors,
entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and end-users - held.

Further analysis revealed that manufacturers were
sluggish in communicating their innovations and new
products, and that also impeded the flow of
technology.

But above all, the research found, it was the dental
practitioner who was the critical determinant of
success.

Two principles were at work:

The first was that practitioners used the products
and technologies to which they were exposed in dental
school and post-degree residencies.

The second was that any technology that would disrupt
or interfere with established office routine was
likely to be disregarded. In a busy office -
particularly with solo practitioners - any
interruption in treating patients was economically
unacceptable.

Dentists believed they couldn't afford to stop
treating patients to adopt new technologies or learn
new procedures, not realizing that new products and
technologies would allow them to treat larger numbers
of patients more efficiently, if they just took the
time to learn and incorporate these innovations into
their practice.

"Technology is at work in all dental offices - from
infection control to lasers in restorative dentistry
and the use of computers for everything from imaging
to record keeping," Rossomando says. "Most dentists
realize that the introduction of new products and
technologies into their practice is in the best
interest of their patients, but existing office
routines and habits can present obstacles to any
change."

One solution, he figured, was to show practitioners
how new technology would improve efficiency and
delivery of care to their patients: and that led to
biodontics.

To amplify biodontics and pursue further research on
its practical aspects, including technology transfer
and how office habits and practices affect the
acceptance of new products, Rossomando established
the Center for Research and Education in Technology
Evaluation at the dental school. The center will
promote education through its biodontics program, but
also will conduct research in a planned "laboratory"
modeled after a dental office.

The center has an advisory board of senior dental
school administrators and faculty and a Board of
Directors, chaired by Carl Bretko (UConn Class of
'67), that comprises business people and
entrepreneurs, dental faculty, scientists,
researchers, and practitioners.

Dr. Hubert Benitez is assistant to the director, and
Dr. Bernard Janicki is the center's principal advisor
and consultant.

"Biodontics and CRETE serve to underscore the UConn
dental school's commitment to translational
research," says Dr. Peter J. Robinson, dean of the
School of Dental Medicine. "Advances in molecular
medicine and biotechnology will provide the
discoveries to improve oral health; and biodontics
will provide the theoretical as well as the practical
framework to translate those discoveries into new
technologies for the dental office. Teaching
biodontics will shorten the period from concept to
product."